4 ms·

So the one in your pocket is just a phone to make calls and nothing else? No GPS? No sensors or something? Gyro? If so, I don't think it's a winner.

by gokhan 15y ago

ctdonath 15y ago
Yes. That's exactly what I want: a phone to make calls and nothing else. There is, in fact, such a market - and I'm surprised almost nobody has taken it seriously. I carry an iPad darn near everywhere I go. I don't want another device which demands yet another data plan. I don't need GPS, camera, projector, gyros, etc. in it. I want a phone which makes calls really well ... and I haven't found it. The phone I use now is a years-old POS candybar thing that the Verizon dealer found in a back room after I spent half an hour ranting about how I want "just a phone" that's thin and simple, one that's not an inch thick in my pocket and/or loaded down with lots of other "features" which just add weight, volume, and cost (methinks he was delighted to finally sell the thing to someone for $1). "Winner" doesn't have to mean "huge hit" or "includes kitchen sink". "Winner" can be something that a reliable niche is willing to pay a premium and serious markup for. I want a phone that takes great pains to make every nuance of the call perfect & pleasant. We're so used to what's wrong with making calls that we don't realize it's wrong. Make a phone that's small, thin, ergonomic, great sound, great voice control, great battery life, auto-syncs contacts, clean robust Bluetooth earpiece support (if not built into the earpiece entirely) etc. - done right, that will be a winner for a non-trivial market. Someone did make a laudable effort at it ("John's Phone"), but failed by putting space for storing a paper-and-pencil contact list, and by focusing on form over function. Someone, please, take the simple act of making a call seriously without any cameras & GPS & sensors & gyros etc. Yes, I want a phone in my pocket which is just a phone to make calls and nothing else. I've already got a tablet which does everything else.
- Schwolop 15y ago
  I'd agree with this if it wasn't for wanting my contacts synchronised. That's enough of a reason to have a data plan on the phone for me. (I guess if someone did bite off this market, they could find a way around that.)
  - Retric 15y ago
    You mean like a USB charger that syncs with your PC.
    - Schwolop 14y ago
      Yes, but I think you'll agree that getting them over the air is better. However, this would be adequate, just not as good.
- julian_t 15y ago
  This. I use a Blackberry for work, but still miss my old Nokia 6310... good call quality, great battery life, and no distractions. A phone-that's-just-a-phone. And, being seriously uncool, it has less appeal to thieves :-)
iuguy 15y ago
What use is a phone that has a million widgets if you have to go through 6 screens to make a phone call? I had this with Windows Mobile and a HTC Universal. The thing that iOS does really really well is provide an experience that doesn't feel like it's getting in the way. Android does that as well for basic functions, but in bolting on all of these functions to turn the phone into a swiss army knife, they're fragmenting the android experience. As someone pointed out there is a market for simpler phones. I'm sure there's a market for more complex ones too.

So the one in your pocket is just a phone to make calls and nothing else? No GPS? No sensors or something? Gyro? If so, I don't think it's a winner.

by gokhan 15y ago

So the one in your pocket is just a phone to make calls and nothing else? No GPS? No sensors or something? Gyro? If so, I don't think it's a winner.

ctdonath 15y ago

Yes. That's exactly what I want: a phone to make calls and nothing else. There is, in fact, such a market - and I'm surprised almost nobody has taken it seriously. I carry an iPad darn near everywhere I go. I don't want another device which demands yet another data plan. I don't need GPS, camera, projector, gyros, etc. in it. I want a phone which makes calls really well ... and I haven't found it. The phone I use now is a years-old POS candybar thing that the Verizon dealer found in a back room after I spent half an hour ranting about how I want "just a phone" that's thin and simple, one that's not an inch thick in my pocket and/or loaded down with lots of other "features" which just add weight, volume, and cost (methinks he was delighted to finally sell the thing to someone for $1). "Winner" doesn't have to mean "huge hit" or "includes kitchen sink". "Winner" can be something that a reliable niche is willing to pay a premium and serious markup for. I want a phone that takes great pains to make every nuance of the call perfect & pleasant. We're so used to what's wrong with making calls that we don't realize it's wrong. Make a phone that's small, thin, ergonomic, great sound, great voice control, great battery life, auto-syncs contacts, clean robust Bluetooth earpiece support (if not built into the earpiece entirely) etc. - done right, that will be a winner for a non-trivial market. Someone did make a laudable effort at it ("John's Phone"), but failed by putting space for storing a paper-and-pencil contact list, and by focusing on form over function. Someone, please, take the simple act of making a call seriously without any cameras & GPS & sensors & gyros etc. Yes, I want a phone in my pocket which is just a phone to make calls and nothing else. I've already got a tablet which does everything else.

Schwolop 15y ago
I'd agree with this if it wasn't for wanting my contacts synchronised. That's enough of a reason to have a data plan on the phone for me. (I guess if someone did bite off this market, they could find a way around that.)
- Retric 15y ago
  You mean like a USB charger that syncs with your PC.
  - Schwolop 14y ago
    Yes, but I think you'll agree that getting them over the air is better. However, this would be adequate, just not as good.
julian_t 15y ago
This. I use a Blackberry for work, but still miss my old Nokia 6310... good call quality, great battery life, and no distractions. A phone-that's-just-a-phone. And, being seriously uncool, it has less appeal to thieves :-)

iuguy 15y ago

What use is a phone that has a million widgets if you have to go through 6 screens to make a phone call? I had this with Windows Mobile and a HTC Universal. The thing that iOS does really really well is provide an experience that doesn't feel like it's getting in the way. Android does that as well for basic functions, but in bolting on all of these functions to turn the phone into a swiss army knife, they're fragmenting the android experience. As someone pointed out there is a market for simpler phones. I'm sure there's a market for more complex ones too.